Lions Pull Off Perfect Trick Play with Fake Fumble for Touchdown
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and head coach Dan Campbell couldn’t stop laughing after a remarkable play-action faux-fumblerooski helped the Lions extend their lead over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. With a 27-14 advantage and the ball just outside the red zone, the Lions appeared to be in a bit of trouble. Goff faked a fumble, and the team yelled “fumble” in unison, leading everyone to believe disaster was about to strike.
But Goff calmly “regained” possession, dropped back quickly, and found Sam LaPorta wide open down the left sideline for an easy touchdown. The trick play, designed by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, fooled the Bears defense and even the FOX broadcast team. Initially, the play seemed like a bit of improvisation, but after reviewing the replay, commentator Kenny Albert speculated that the fumble was intentional — and Goff confirmed that was the case.
Goff revealed that the trick play had been planned earlier in the week when Johnson asked if he could pretend to fumble. “We kind of got off that pretty quickly,” Goff explained, “and instead we were like, ‘Let’s just pretend we’re falling or pretending I’m fumbling.'” He added that Jahmyr Gibbs‘s dive during the play made it even more convincing.
After the touchdown, Goff couldn’t help but show off the play to Campbell on the sideline, pulling up a video of his own play on a Microsoft Surface tablet. Campbell laughed as they watched the play together, sharing in the joy of the successful trick play.
The play drew inspiration from a similar moment involving the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 of the previous season. While that fumble was unintentional, it led to a big gain for the Packers as Jordan Love recovered the ball and found Luke Musgrave for a huge play down the sideline.
The Lions’ creativity and execution of the trick play not only caught the Bears off guard but also helped solidify their win, improving their record to 13-2 as they continue to battle for the top spot in the NFC.